Colombia
Colombia, officially called the 'Republic of Colombia '(Spanish: República de Colombia) ''is a country in Northern South America. It shares a border with Panama to the north, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the South-East and Ecuador the South-West. The capital and largest city of Colombia is Bogotá. Colombia is a sovereign presidential republic. History Colonisation Colombia was first colonised by Spain in 1525. Colombia declared independence from Spain in 1810, beginning the South American wars of independence. Following the defeat of Spain, several South American states were united into the single Gran Colombia under revolutionary hero Simon Bolivar, who envisioned a unified Spanish South America. However, political infighting and nationalism led to the dissolution of Gran Colombia as Venezuela and Ecuador declared independence, formally bringing Gran Colombia to an end in 1831. After the fall of Gran Colombia, Colombia faced major political, economic and social strife. It was renamed 'New Grenada' in 1831, the Grenadine Confederation in 1858, the United States of Colombia after a civil war in 1863, and renamed to its modern name in 1886. Independence and Civil Wars Following independence and the collapse of Gran Colombia, Colombia faced great political, social and economic strife. Political divisions and economic discontent led to a major civil war fought between 1860 and 1862, and numerous other civil conflicts igniting intermittently throughout the late 19th century. Although largely committed to democratic causes, the rivalry between the major Liberal and Conservative parties led to frequent fighting. Political violence was common in Colombia from the 1860s, and several conflicts emerged; most notably the devastating 'Thousand Day War' between 1899 and 1902. Panamanian Independence Weakened by civil wars Colombia was forced to sign the Hay-Bunan-Varilla treaty in 1903, acknowledging American rights of control of the Panama canal. Following the treaty, the US continued to exercise influence in Panama causing a separatist uprising that declared independence from Colombia in 1903, although Colombia did not officially recognise Panama's independence until 1921. The US paid 25 Million US Dollars as compensation for the loss of Panama between 1921 and 1930. Economically, Colombia was and is an agricultural nation, exporting tobacco since about 1850 and coffee and bananas since 1900 (with the aid of US capital), and petroleum after 1905. The Liberal government formed in 1930 enacted a major land reform dispossessing big landowners, as well as enacting social reforms to aid the middle class, workers and peasants. Politics The ruling party of Colombia is the ''Partido Liberal (Liberal Party), who have been in power since 1930 although they do not hold a government majority. The President of Colombia and party leader of the liberals is Alfonso López Pumarejo. The other major party in Colombia is the Partido Conservador (Conservative Party). The two major parties have ruled Colombia almost equally between them since the mid-19th century, and political violence -including outright civil war- is common. The next Colombian election is in 1938, and political violence is a large possibility. The instability of the government and the conflicts between the two major parties has led to discontent, especially about the potential for a Radical Socialist uprising. Although the Liberals and the Conservatives remain the largest party, some other notable parties are the corporatist Los Leopardos and the Radical Socialist ''Unión Nacional Izquierdista Revolucionaria, ''as well as the undemocratic military ''Movimiento de Acción Nacional ''formed to counter Syndicalism. Military The Colombian military is rather weak, but is enough to make them a regional power in Northern South America, although they lack the industrial capacity to support a large army. They are stronger or equivalent to most of their neighbors and have a reasonably large manpower pool to allow for military growth. Army The Colombian army consists of 4 divisions all stationed in central Colombia. Navy The Colombian navy is rather small, consisting of 8 destroyers. Furthermore, they are weakened by their inability to pass through the Panama Canal, cutting off their naval access between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans and their coats on those oceans. Air Force Colombia lacks an air force. Foreign Relations Colombia has no alliances or treaties but has relatively warm relations with its moderate neighbors. They have good relations with Ecuador, United Provinces of Central America, Brazil and the United States of America, among others. They have bad relations with the syndicalist nations of Centroamerica, Mexico and Chile. Industry Colombia is a very agricultural nation, with most of its economy centered around the growing and exporting of cash crops like tobacco, coffee, and bananas. In terms of industry and strategic resources, they do possess: Industry: * 6 Civilian factories, with 3 needed for consumer goods * 3 Military factories * 0 Naval Dockyards * 30 Convoys Resources: * 20 Oil Culture Input here See Also Ecuador Category:South American countries Category:Countries